A new study from Penn State University indicates that sneaking vegetables into kids' meals is a valid part of your overall healthy eating plan. As part of their study, researchers came up with two pasta dishes to test on children. A low calorie dish with broccoli and cauliflower blended into the sauce and another with no vegetables and more calories.

Kids didn't spot the vitamin-packed ringer, liking both equally well. "The kids could not really tell the difference and ate a consistent weight of pasta," according to lead author Kathleen E. Leahy. Leahy did point out, however, that this should only be a part of your meal strategy -- children should be encouraged to eat whole vegetables in order to develop a taste for them. "You not only want to increase their vegetable intake but also want to ensure that your kids will acquire a taste for vegetables," she said.